Easy Removal of Wallpaper Border

Removing outdated wallpaper border looks simple, but it is often more difficult than first suspected. Scraping and peeling wallpaper is a messy job and can often take hours or even days to complete if done improperly. Learn a few tricks to remove old wallpaper border quickly and efficiently.

Considerations

• Determine what substrate the wall is made out of. Walls made of gypsum drywall should not get over saturated and gouge easily. Wallpaper borders created from vinyl, acrylic, foils or other nonporous surfaces must be perforated or scratched to allow the wallpaper removal solution to penetrate the adhesive surface.

Technique

• Some wallpaper borders simply peel off of the wall. Use a putty knife to lift the corner of the border up and peel at an angle. Use the spray method if the border does not lift from the wall. Spray wallpaper remover solution using a bottle onto the border, and scrape it with a wallpaper tool.

Warning

• When spraying remover solution onto the surface, do not overspray, suggests Dummies.com. The website suggests only spraying enough solution to an area that can be removed in 15 minutes.